2016 Hyundai Elantra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (77) · Power Train (22) · Vehicle Speed Control (18)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Elantra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
123 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2026-05-14 · campaign 26V307000 · 3,493 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra and 2016 Elantra GT vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Risk: An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated August, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 300. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 16, 2026.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:trunk Lid:latch 2024-02-23 · campaign 24V146000 · 186,588 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 256.
Service bulletins (134)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-26 · Z05 OL · Warranty Program/Extension
certain vehicles may exhibit excessive paint peeling or bubbling of the primer/paint film on the exterior metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. this warranty extension only applies to factory-applied paint and does not cover collision-related paint
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-28 · 26-BD-002H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension
certain hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. the paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original ret
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-28 · 26-BD-002H DN · Warranty Program/Extension
some hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. the paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original retail
Showing the 6 most recent of 134 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“i am reporting a recall remedy failure involving my 2016 hyundai elantra under hyundai recall 256 / nhtsa recall 24v‑146 (trunk latch pawl defect). the mccarthy olathe hyundai dealership in olathe, ks marked the recall as “completed,” but the trunk latch still does not open and the defect persists exactly as described in the recall notice. after t…”
2026-08-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“vehicle stalls while driving which is very dangerous. all dashboard lights go on prior to stalling. no engine light is on. knocking sound coming from engine. dealer states engine needs to be replaced. car has been serviced regularly despite that hyundai denies engine replacement. the knocking sound that engine does is common between this model and …”
2026-08-29 · Engine“the motor started to make a ticking noise 5 months earlier. 5 months later at 180,000 miles a borascope finding, reveled all 4 cylinder walls were worn related to cylinder slap. called hyundai dealership and was told ithe car is too old and the milage too high for a warranty coverage. …”
2026-07-25 · Vehicle Speed Control“p0420 p0441 p0014 p1326 c1260 c1688 c2130 these are the codes that's affecting my car…”
2026-07-16 · Engine“engine burned oil and had knocking sound, despite having regular oil changes. stalked out while driving took to dealer initial said it was covered by the exerted coverage but ultimately denied. it had 111,000 miles on it. i believe this engine has the same issues as the others.…”
2026-07-14 · Engine“the oil light & check engine started flashing. took it to the auto shop. the mechanic stated that the oil level is very low and the engine has a bad lower-end knock. removed the oil filter and found metal debris in the oil. no oil leaks were found under the vehicle at all. oil is being burned out through the exhaust. the vehicle needs an the n…”
2026-07-10 · Power Train“transmission p0731 code. vehicle will not shift into 1st gear when idle but will stay in 3 or 4 gear. speedometer would indicate high speed when pressing on accelerator. at traffic light when light turn green car rev but would not shift into gear. has only 130k miles. car was towed to dealer and required a new transmission.…”
2026-07-08 · Unknown Or Other“2016 hyundai elantra (75k miles) experiences severe, un-commanded loss of propulsive power and a severe drivetrain instability hazard. at steady highway speeds, the automatic transmission completely loses hydraulic pressure, slips out of gear, and unexpectedly drops into a temporary "neutral." the engine suddenly revs up to high rpm on its own whil…”
2026-06-25 · Unknown Or Other“my driver side window has not been working for almost 3 years now. i have taken it to 4 mechanics and they fix it but only last a couple days. they have all say they can’t really do anything about it since they need an original piece. my ac is another issue i have that i have tried fixing 3 times now. the same issue happens they fix it and it last …”
2026-06-14 · Structure:body“the vehicle's security system malfunctioned immediately after service at parks hyundai of gainesville on 05/27/26 for recall 256 & campaign p33. the alarm blares & emergency lights flash while i am driving on public roads. this defect first presented in the dealership parking lot upon pickup. this creates a severe safety risk: the high-decibel alar…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.